A group of National Democratic Congress (NDC) delegates in the Greater Accra Region have described the filing of nomination of former Greater Accra regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashitey, for the national Chairmanship of the party, as the first step towards change that the NDC is bringing to Ghana.
In a statement, the group, led by Mr. P.K Mensah, said the move of the former Employment Minister of the Mills government is an instigation of change that delegates and members of the NDC government need from within to drive the external change.
“Change must always start with those who seek change and the nomination of Hon. Nii Armah Ashitey is the NDC’s self-reckoning for the change that we must bring Ghana,” the statement of the group said.According to it, “the great NDC needs a new mindset and leadership as the time has come for it to shed its old outlook through the vision of the current leadership, and bring in a new one. It is only after we ourselves have changed that we can seek to change the country.”
Nii Armah Ashitey, on Tuesday filed his nominations to contest the party's chairmanship position in the upcoming national executive elections.He was led by some party faithful to submit the forms at the party's headquarters in Accra on Tuesday accompanied by party grassroots clad in party colours, the former Minister formally activated his candidature which many in the NDC have called for after disenchantment with the current leadership of the party led by Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.
The filing of nomination for the national Chairmanship position makes Nii Armah Ashitey the third person who has put himself up as a challenger of Ofosu-Ampfo, under whose Chairmanship the NDC has lost two previous national the wildest margins ever in the history of the Fourth Republic.
The other challengers are Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the party’s incumbent General Secretary who for some unknown reason has suddenly developed an interest in becoming the national Chairman, and one Samuel Yaw Adusei.
“Within the NDC, there is a clamour for change because we the delegates have seen the cowardly leadership that the current Executives have given the party. We have no doubt that we won the 2020 elections, but because of the cowardice of the National Chairman and the General Secretary, the NPP stole the victory right from under our noses,” the delegates’ statement said.
Citing the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election hasty retreat command by Ofosu-Ampofo and the glaring broad daylight thievery and violence that Akufo-Addo used to rob the 2020 election result, the delegates said, “everybody who was a part of the leadership that makes us go through such heartache must give way.”
They called on fellow delegates who are on the fence, “to let history be a lesson and vote out the current executives seeking for the party chairmanship and bring in Hon. Nii Armah Ashitey.”
“Look at the massive support Nii Armah Ashitey enjoyed when he arrived at the Greater Accra Regional delegates congress in Tema on Sunday! Look at the cheering and his political personality!. Look at his track record of success in politics and business!, he is learned and has no corruption tag”, one of the delegates who prefers to remain incognito said.